Review of Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) by Niles2K14 — 16 Feb 2020

I personally loved the movie quite a lot. The characterizations for a lot of the characters like Sonic, Tom, Maddie, Dr. Robotnik and Agent Stone are excellent and rather humorous than I expected. Sonic especially is the character and the best aspect I adore in this movie. The movie gives a sympathetic take on Sonic and has him go through a character arc in terms of dealing with his loneliness. Once he finally meets with Tom face-to-face, the story escalates from there. Dr. Robotnik's characterization is excellent as well and Jim Carrey absolutely nails it in terms of his interpretation of the character. His arrogance and egomaniacal ways are comedic, but also make him menacing and intimidating as well, which I like as a result.

The only major problem I have with the movie is its pacing. The beginning shows how Sonic as a child is separated from what looks to be his mentor, Longclaw The Owl. The Echidnas launched an attack on them and Longclaw resorted to having Sonic be transported to another world (Earth) in order to protect him. After that however, you don't hear about Longclaw again for the rest of the movie. You also don't get to see much of what Sonic had to go through when he was a child who got transported to planet Earth. I think more scenes of Sonic's childhood would've added a bit more to his character arc. The movie instead fast-forwards to when he's a teenager who's already built up in himself a complex where he's a happy-go-lucky jokester who hides his deep sadness (A sad clown essentially). The insecurities Sonic deals with in terms of his loneliness are portrayed mostly well. I really like seeing how Sonic deep down is emotionally insecure and in need of companionship. It makes me sympathize with him very much. I also wished that there were more scenes and interactions between Sonic and Dr. Robotnik in order to make their rivalry even more powerful and intense.

Despite the flaws this movie has, I think this is one of the best video game movies so far. I find it to be far better written and funnier than Detective Pikachu. The other characters like Tom, Maddie and the rest of civilians are also surprisingly funny and likable and the cast did a brilliant job with their acting without being too cringy. Ben Schwartz is especially excellent as Sonic and portrays his playful and happy-go-lucky attitude so well. There simply is a lot to like about the movie despite its flaws. I highly recommend this movie to people of all ages and especially Sonic fans because of its references to the video game franchise. Lastly, don't leave the theater during the credits since you're in for a surprise.